First of all, series II is better than series I, and that doesn't always happen.
Series II is more mature. The main character definitely evolves more and analyzes his behavior. He even apologizes (though the first time it's a non-apology, just like with politicians).
The series is dark, baroque, stylized, and features some excellent reflections, such as: "The greatest curse of getting what you want is getting what you wanted."
The series also requires a certain erudition, as the characters can reference a literary work, revealing only a fragment of the plot or the character's name but not the title. Or they encounter a whole galaxy of long-forgotten gods, from Odin (the perhaps more well-known one) to Ishtar (the perhaps lesser-known one).
The series features excellent humanist themes about the tragedies of ordinary people. There's a great character of a trans woman whose family behaved very badly at a funeral, and a young woman with gloves with a troubled past. These are truly excellent storylines.
Among the show's flaws is the seamless transition from one completed case to another, and then a third. Perhaps it would have been more sensible to make several, but shorter, seasons. Especially since some storylines feel a bit drawn out.
However, despite minor flaws, I think the show deserves 8 stars after the second season.
